To our P*A*W*S clients,

We have been closely following the Covid-19 recommendations and the need for social distancing. Governor Wolf has ordered all non-essential businesses in PA to close. As a veterinary practice, we do provide an essential service. However, we are not to perform any non-essential services for a minimum of two weeks.

It has been a difficult decision for us as we weigh all of the advice against the needs of our clients. We have decided to remain open at this time but in a limited capacity. We will continue to see sick and injured pets but not wellness or vaccine appointments. We may be able to service some of your pet’s needs via telemedicine. We will mail out medications as and be available by telephone, email, & text during our normal hours.

If you have an upcoming appointment and have any signs of Covid-19 including coughing, fever, or difficulty breathing, or if you are in quarantine because of a possible or known exposure, please call the office ahead of time so we can discuss how to safely proceed. If I end up needing to self-quarantine, I will let you know.

We are enacting several changes to our routines for the near future. We do realize that we may need to make individual exceptions to these and will review that on a case-by-case basis.

• We will not be coming into your homes. Please bring your pet outside to meet us. If you need to use our cat carrier, let us know in advance.
•  We are not allowing any clients into the van.
• We will go over your pet’s history and clinical signs outside (while maintaining a 6 foot separation) or over the phone.
• We will call you when your pet is finished being examined to discuss our recommendations.

Obviously, this is a very fluid situation and recommendations are changing daily. We will update you if we need to make further modifications.

The PA Department of Health has great information for you to keep up-to-date on Covid-19: https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx

We will all get through this difficult time together. Stay healthy!

Sharon L Daub-Pelker, DVM
P*A*W*S Mobile Veterinary Care
717-871-1700
mobilevet@p-a-w-s.com
www.p-a-w-s.com

Updated 3/20/20
Updated 3/21/20

Important changes to P*A*W*S Mobile Veterinary Care’s upcoming hours!

We will be closed Thursday March 19th & Friday March 20th

We will also be closing early at 2 PM on Tuesday March 31st

Important changes to P*A*W*S Mobile Veterinary Care’s upcoming hours!

WE WILL BE CLOSED:

• Thursday November 28th & Friday November 29^th—Thanksgiving
• Tuesday December 24^th through Wednesday January 1^st— Christmas & New Year’s

If you have an emergency when we are closed, please call PET Emergency Treatment and Specialties at 295-7387, 930 N. Queen St., Lancaster, www.lancasterpetemergency.com.

Please check your medications and make sure you will have enough to get through the times we will be closed.

We also post changes on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PAWS.Mobile.Vet.Care/.

Reminder of upcoming schedule changes! We will also be closing at noon this coming Friday August 30th

Friday Aug 30th–closing at noon
Monday Sept. 2nd–Labor Day
Monday Oct. 14th to Friday Oct. 18th–continuing education meeting

If your pet is on any medications, be sure you will have enough while we are closed. Please check your supplies, and if you are in need of more, let us know at least two weeks prior to our closing so that we can get the medications ordered and mailed out to you.

If you have an emergency while we are closed, please call PET Emergency Treatment and Specialties at 295-7387, 930 N. Queen St., Lancaster.

(adapted from a handout written by Dr. Carla Pfeiffer, DVM)

There are hundreds of pet foods on the market.  We recommend only using certain foods manufactured by companies which comply with ALL the recommendations set by WSAVA for animal feed companies.  They should:

• Employ board certified veterinary nutritionists full time to formulate their diets, and are available for consultations and questions.
• The diet(s) are tested using AAFCO feeding trials, by nutrient analysis. Look for the following on the label under the ingredients and guaranteed analysis:

“Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that <this food> provides complete and balanced nutrition for <this specific life stage>.”

• They have specific quality control measures in place to assure the consistency and quality of their product line.
• They have full control over the plants where their foods are produced and manufactured, and allow visitors.
• They provide a complete product nutrient analysis for the dog and cat food of interest, including digestibility values.
• They provide the caloric value per gram, can, and/or cup of their foods.
• They conduct research on their products, and the results are published in peer-reviewed journals

***Hills, Purina, Iams/Eukanuba and Royal Canin are the ONLY pet food companies we know of that comply with all of these recommendations. Please check the label to be certain.

You can find the full recommendations here: https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Images/Association%20logos/WSAVA-Nutrition-Assessment-Guidelines-(2011)_JSAP.pdf

Also, due to the current investigation being headed by the FDA on the link between boutique, exotic ingredient and grain-free foods (“BEG”), and an increased risk for heart disease, we DO NOT recommend a grain-free diet for any pet that wasn’t specifically diagnosed with a medical need for this diet by a board certified veterinary nutritionist, gastroenterologist, internal medicine or other specialist.  In addition, be wary of any foods that list in their top 5 ingredients – peas, sweet potatoes, lentils, potatoes and chick pea as these ingredients are also under investigation as a potential link to an increased risk for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and/or taurine deficiency (a deficiency which cannot necessarily be satisfied by supplementing the food).

More information can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm630991.htm

Be aware that all the foods currently under investigation have been “formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or cat) Food Nutrient Profiles.” Some of the foods currently under investigation may conduct AAFCO feeding trials, but as of this printing none meet all the WSAVA recommendations.  We always recommend feeding your pet a diet that was specifically formulated for their life stage (puppy, kitten, senior…), and we do not recommend food that has been formulated “for all life stages”.

 

Additional helpful information is available:

• It’s Not Just Grain-Free: An Update on Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy—http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/
• A broken heart: Risk of heart disease in boutique or grain-free diets and exotic ingredients— http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/
• Taurine + DCM—https://taurinedcm.org/?fbclid=IwAR33QbDczd9Duaq9G0c_iwGYGZzOC1GdbbuRyFZlGGyBJcNlKT_9ZzwcVNI
• Taurine Deficient (Nutritional) Dilated Cardiomyopathy— https://www.facebook.com/groups/TaurineDCM/
• The Savvy Dog Owner’s Guide: Nutrition on the Internet—https://www.grrmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/The-Savvy-Dog-Owner-s-Guide-to-Nutrition-on-the-Internet.pdf
• How to read pet food labels (FDA article)– https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20180908064952/https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/ResourcesforYou/AnimalHealthLiteracy/ucm047113.htm

 

WE WILL BE CLOSED:

• Thursday November 22^nd & Friday November 23^rd—Thanksgiving
• Monday December 3^rd through Friday December 7^th—Van repairs in Ohio
• Monday December 24^th & Tuesday December 25^th—Christmas
• Monday December 31^st & Tuesday January 1^st—New Year’s

If you have an emergency when we are closed, please call PET Emergency Treatment and Specialties at 295-7387, 930 N. Queen St., Lancaster, www.lancasterpetemergency.com.

Please check your medications and make sure you will have enough to get through the times we will be closed.

We also post changes on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PAWS.Mobile.Vet.Care/.

Important Changes to Summer Hours 2018

Important Changes to Summer Hours 2018

Monday, April 9th 2018

P*A*W*S Mobile Veterinary Care will be closed this coming Monday, April 9th.

If you have an emergency during the hours of 8 AM & 6 PM on the 9th, please call a local veterinary hospital.

All after-hour, weekend, and holiday emergencies are handled by PET Emergency Treatment and Specialties at 295-7387, 930 N. Queen St., Lancaster.